Foldable Mat

ABSTRACT

A foldable elongate mat ( 10 ) comprising seven cushioning panels ( 1 - 7 ) hingedly connected to one another and moveable relative to one another between a folded stacked position and an unfolded position. The mat ( 10 ) further comprises a retaining flap ( 20 ) and a carrying handle. Each panel ( 1 - 7 ) has a flexible covering and a cushioning foam rubber insert. The coverings are provided by a fabric sheet, the inserts are sewn into the sheet, ends ( 13 ) of the panels ( 1 - 7 ) correspond with seams extending across the mat ( 10 ) between adjacent inserts, and the hinging action is largely provided by fold lines at the seams and adjacent regions of the sheet extending alongside the inserts. The mat ( 10 ) may be configured for many different uses, and for ready transportation and stowage in a compact form.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from Australian provisional patent application number 2006906416, filed Nov. 16, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

1. Area of the Art

The present invention is in the art of mats such as those used in exercise and is particularly directed to a foldable configuration.

2. Description of the Background of the Invention

Elongate mats for use on floors and for cushioning other surfaces are available in a range of shapes and sizes. Although some of those mats can adopt a more compact form for ease with transport or stowage, such mats typically have the disadvantage in that they can not be readily configured such that, say, one region of the mat is elevated relative to another region of the mat. A user may wish to use such an elevated region as a head or foot support, or as a seat.

The present inventor has now developed a foldable mat that overcomes the disadvantage referred to above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a foldable elongate mat comprising:

a plurality of cushioning panels hingedly connected to one another and moveable relative to one another between a folded stacked position and an unfolded position, wherein:

-   -   each said panel has a top surface and a bottom surface;     -   in the folded stacked position the respective top or bottom         surfaces of any two adjacent said panels extend substantially         co-planarly and are in direct contact with one another; and     -   in the unfolded position said surfaces of the two adjacent         panels are not in direct contact with one another.

The panels may be of any suitable size, shape and construction, and may be made of any suitable material or materials.

The mat may have any suitable number of panels but preferably has between four and twelve panels and more preferably six to eight panels that collectively have a length of between about 1.5 m to 2.5 m. Preferably, the mat has seven panels and those panels have a combined length of about 1.8 m. Preferably, each panel has a thickness of about 15-40 mm, and more preferably about 20-30 mm.

Each panel is preferably rectangular when viewed in plan but each panel could alternatively be, for example, circular, triangular, hexagonal or octagonal. The mat may have differently shaped panels. The panels may be of any suitable thickness provided that they are thick enough to cushion a user of the mat.

Each panel may have a pair of opposed ends and a pair of opposed sides that extend between the top and bottom surfaces. Preferably, the panels are connected end to end.

The panels may be hingedly connected to one another in any suitable way. The panels may be permanently connected to one another or detachably connected to one another, for example, by way of hook and loop type fasteners, press studs or zippers. If detachably connected, panels may be detached from the mat so as to decrease the overall length of the mat or added to the mat so as to increase the overall length of the mat. Preferably, the panels are connected to one another by way of a flexible sheet that provides the hinging action. Preferably, the ends of the panels are hingedly connected to one another by way of a fold line in a flexible sheet. The fold line may be provided by a seam in the sheet.

The panels are preferably connected end to end such that, when fully unfolded relative to one another, the mat extends linearly. However, this need not be the case; the mat when fully unfolded may also extend non-linearly. The ends of one or more panels may be hingedly connected to the sides of adjacent panels, such that the extended mat has a bend or a zigzag shape.

Each panel may be of unitary construction or not of unitary construction. Preferably, each panel comprises a cushioning insert contained within a covering.

The covering may be made of any suitable material, such as plastics material or fabric, such as cotton. The nature of the covering will depend on its intended use. For example, a plastic covering is desirable if the mat is to be used on the beach or in a dirty environment. For example, a soft fabric covering is desirable if the mat is to be used for meditation or yoga. The covering may have a non-slip surface or a surface shaped for specific uses.

The covering of each panel member may have an opening, preferably a sealable opening, for accessing and removing the cushioning insert. The sealable opening may be provided by way of clips, press studs, a zipper or a hook and loop type fastener (e.g., Velcro®).

Any suitable type of cushioning insert may be used. The insert may be made of, for instance, foam rubber or plastic foam material. Preferably, the insert consists of resilient plastic foam such as foam rubber and polyurethane foam. Alternatively, the insert may be a fluid-filled bladder. Alternatively, the insert may comprise loose fill, such as foam rubber beads.

Preferably, the insert provides cushioning but will readily compress under the weight of a user.

Different types of inserts may be used. If the mat is used for massage, the inserts may have an undulating surface, for stimulating blood flow. The insert may be in the form of a heat pack or a cold pack, for heating or cooling a user of the mat. The inserts may render the mat buoyant, such that the mat may be used in water as a floatation device.

The covering of each panel may have a pocket for a heat pack or a cold pack.

Preferably, the coverings of the panels are provided by a fabric or plastic sheet, the inserts are sewn into the sheet, the ends of the panels correspond with seams extending across the mat between adjacent inserts, and the hinging action is largely provided by regions of the sheet extending between adjacent inserts.

The mat may have retaining means for holding together the panels when fully stacked, for ease with transportation or stowage in a compact form. Any suitable type of retaining means may be used. Preferably, the retaining means comprises a retaining flap extending from one of the panels and a fastener. The retaining flap may be extendible around the stacked panels and a free end of the flap may be detachably connected to another region of the flap by way of the fastener. Preferably, the retaining flap extends from an end panel of the mat. Any suitable type of fastener may be used, including a hook and loop type fastener, press studs or clips. One portion of the fastener may be located at one end of the retaining flap and the other portion of the fastener may be located at the opposing end of the retaining flap.

The mat may have a carrying handle to enable the fully stacked mat to be readily moved from one location to another. Any suitable type of handle may be used. Preferably, the handle is a strap having ends that are attached to the retaining flap.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable elongate mat having cushioning panels in a fully unfolded position, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the mat shown in FIG. 1 but with some of the panels in the process of being moved to a folded stacked position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mat shown in FIG. 1 but with some of the panels in the folded stacked position;

FIG. 4 shows how a person may use the mat, as configured in FIG. 3, for yoga;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mat shown in FIG. 1 but with all of the panels in the folded stacked position and with a retaining flap of the mat yet to be fastened around the panels; and

FIG. 6 is a partially detailed perspective view of the mat shown in FIG. 5 but with the retaining flap fastened around the panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the figures, like reference numerals refer to like features.

The figures show a foldable elongate mat 10 for use on a floor or other support surface. The mat 1 comprises seven cushioning panels 1-7 hingedly connected to one another in a concertina-like arrangement, retaining means 20-22 and a carry handle 8 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

Each panel 1-7 has a flexible covering (not labeled) and a cushioning foam rubber insert (not shown). As seen in FIG. 1, each panel 1-7 is rectangular and has a top surface 11, a bottom surface 12, a pair of ends 13 and a pair of sides 14 (only partly labeled). The ends 13 of the panels 1-7 are hingedly connected to one another and enable the panels 1-7 to be moved between a folded stacked position (as seen in FIGS. 3-6) and an unfolded position (as seen in FIG. 1). In the folded stacked position the respective top or bottom surfaces 11, 12 of any two adjacent panels 1-7 extend co-planarly and are in direct contact with one another. In the unfolded position, the surfaces 11, 12 of the two adjacent panels 1-7 are not in direct contact with one another.

The coverings of the panels 1-7 are provided by a fabric or plastic sheet, the inserts are sewn into the sheet, the ends 13 of the panels 1-7 correspond with seams extending across the mat 10 between adjacent inserts, and the hinging action is largely provided by fold lines at the seams and adjacent regions of the sheet extending alongside the inserts.

The panels 1-7 have a combined length of about 1.8 m and each panel 1-7 has a thickness of about 20-30 mm. Each cushioning foam rubber insert is readily compressible under the weight of a user of the mat 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the retaining means 20-22 holds together the panels 1-7 when fully stacked, for ease with transportation or stowage in a compact form. The retaining means 20-22 comprises a retaining flap 20 extending from panel 7 and a fastener 21, 22. The flap 20 is made of fabric or a plastic sheet. A free end of the flap 20 has one half of a hook and loop type fastener strip 21 (i.e., Velcro®) and another end of the flap 20 has the other half of the fastener strip 22. The retaining flap 20 can be wrapped around the stacked panels 1-7 and the fastener strips 21, 22 can mate to hold the flap 20 in place, as shown in FIG. 6. The carry handle 8 is a nylon strap having ends attached to the flap 20.

A mat 10 that is fully unfolded is shown in FIG. 1. In this form it may be used as a runner on a floor or bench seat, or as a bed for camping. FIG. 2 shows mat 10 in the process of being folded to the configuration shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows how such a configured mat 10 may be used by a practitioner of yoga or for meditation. FIGS. 5 and 6 show mat 10 fully folded. FIG. 6 shows mat 10 configured for transportation or stowage.

The advantages of the present invention include that the mat may be configured for many different uses, and for ready transportation and stowage in a compact form. In particular, the mat may be configured such that at least one region of the mat is elevated relative to at least one other region of the mat.

The mat may be used, for example, as a floor runner, as a bed for use in camping, crèche or on the beach, for physical therapy, meditation, prayer, yoga, exercise and massage. The consistency of the coverings and retaining flap would depend on the intended use for the mat.

Throughout this specification, unless in the context of usage an alternative interpretation is required, the term “comprise” (and variants thereof such as “comprising” and “comprised”) denotes the inclusion of a stated integer or integers but does not exclude the presence of another integer or other integers. 

1. A foldable elongate mat comprising: a plurality of cushioning panels hingedly connected to one another and moveable relative to one another between a folded stacked position and an unfolded position, wherein: each said panel has a top surface and a bottom surface; in the folded stacked position the respective top or bottom surfaces of any two adjacent said panels extend substantially co-planarly and are in direct contact with one another; and in the unfolded position said surfaces of the two adjacent panels are not in direct contact with one another.
 2. The foldable elongate mat of claim 1, wherein each said panel comprises a cushioning insert contained within a covering, and each said insert is readily compressible under the weight of a user of the mat.
 3. The foldable elongate mat of claim 2, wherein each said insert consists of readily compressible foam selected from the group consisting of rubber.
 4. The foldable elongate mat of claim 1, wherein each said panel has a pair of opposed ends and a pair of opposed sides that extend between the top and bottom surfaces, and the panels are connected end to end.
 5. The foldable elongate mat of claim 4, wherein the ends of the panels are hingedly connected to one another by way of a fold line in a flexible sheet.
 6. The foldable elongate mat of claim 2, wherein the coverings of the panels are provided by a flexible fabric sheet, the inserts are sewn into the sheet, and the panels are hingedly connected to one another by way of regions of the sheet extending between adjacent said inserts.
 7. The foldable elongate mat of claim 6, wherein the mat has seven said panels connected end to end that have a combined length of about 1.8 m and each said panel has a thickness of about 20 mm.
 8. The foldable elongate mat of claim 1, wherein said mat comprises retaining means for holding together the panels when in a fully folded stacked position.
 9. The foldable elongate mat of claim 8, wherein said retaining means comprises a retaining flap extendible around the panels when in the fully folded stacked position and a free end of the flap is detachably connected to another region of the flap by way of a fastener.
 10. The foldable elongate mat of claim 9, wherein the retaining flap extends from an end cushioning panel of the mat, one portion of the fastener is located at one end of the retaining flap and another portion of the fastener is located at another end of the retaining flap.
 11. The foldable elongate mat of claim 10, wherein said fastener is a hook and loop type fastener.
 12. The foldable elongate mat of claim 10, wherein said mat comprises a carrying handle having ends that are attached to the retaining flap. 